Chapter 102 - 101: The Ultimate Humiliation
He Cheng’s words made Xing Shen and the others’ faces fall.
They had assumed this was a trap laid by Gongyang Li and his fellow Blood God Sect Martial Artists, a ploy to lure them in and kill them with an array.
But from what He Cheng was saying, it seemed the other Blood God Sect members didn’t know about Gongyang Li’s plan either. He had plotted against everyone. ’What is he trying to do?’
Just then, the unexpected happened.
A bloody shadow shot from Gongyang Li’s hand, violently yanking He Cheng in front of him.
In the next instant, his hand, like a skeletal claw, plunged through He Cheng’s chest. A torrent of blood gushed out, flowing into the Blood Pool.
"How ignorant. During the selection of a Saint Heir, the losers are nothing but stepping stones. All the Qi and Blood they’ve accumulated is plundered by the victor.
Did you really think brothers of the Sect can’t slaughter each other and steal their Qi and Blood? I don’t know who taught you to be so naive!
The Qi and Blood of a Martial Artist from our sect who has cultivated the Blood Spirit Scripture... now *that* is a truly potent tonic!"
Gongyang Li slowly crushed He Cheng’s heart, his expression savage and cold. "To have your Qi and Blood used as material for me to forge a Primordial Pill—that is your honor!"
As his voice fell, He Cheng’s body collapsed, all of his Qi and Blood completely absorbed by the Blood Pool.
Gongyang Li turned to the monks from the Vajra Prajna Temple and sneered. He took a small jade box from his robes. A golden elixir pill could be faintly seen shimmering inside.
"Bald donkeys, are you looking for this? Did you really think I was no match for you all this time?
It’s just that it would have been difficult to make my move without luring you to this remote Ning Province.
The ’Demon-Subduing Arhat’ Kong Jing shattered my Primordial Pill, so today, I’ll use the Vajra Blood of you bald donkeys to reforge a Blood Buddha Primordial Pill!"
At his words, the faces of the five monks from the Vajra Prajna Temple turned utterly grim, as if they had suffered the ultimate humiliation.
"You dare! Gongyang Li, how dare you desecrate a Sacred Artifact of the Vajra Prajna Temple! Our temple will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"
The Supreme Mahasari was not merely a treasure to the Vajra Prajna Temple; it was the relic of Master Lian Chi, their abbot from five hundred years ago.
Having it stolen by a member of the Evil Dao was already a great loss of face.
But for the Supreme Mahasari, an object they revered as a Sacred Artifact, to be absorbed into the body of an Evil Demon like Gongyang Li and used as a Primordial Pill—that was a humiliation of an entirely different magnitude for the Vajra Prajna Temple!
The shame was more profound than any personal slight.
Gongyang Li let out a wild laugh, his body dissolving into a bloody shadow as he shot directly toward Xing Shen and Xing Nan.
At the same time, countless drops of blood coalesced around him, forming a torrential downpour that rained down on everyone else.
Qi Yuanming’s True Qi erupted as he fought back, cursing his luck.
’I thought this was my chance for a great achievement, but it’s turned into a huge mess!
I figured that since the monks from the Vajra Prajna Temple had chased Gongyang Li this far, his strength must have been severely diminished. I never expected these idiot monks were just being led around by the nose like dogs!
And these bald-headed bastards weren’t even telling the truth!
"A monk does not tell lies"? What a load of bullshit!
They weren’t hunting Gongyang Li to avenge some Little Novice Monk. There’s clearly a much deeper secret here, and the implications are enormous!’
The rain of blood fell on Chen Yuan as well. Each drop contained an incredibly potent Blood Qi; a single one could pierce straight through a weaker Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artist.
Fei Bin was struggling desperately. If Qi Yuanming hadn’t been shielding him from some of the bloody rain, he would have been killed in an instant.
Chen Yuan formed a Seal Technique, and a brilliant Buddha Light erupted around him. He pushed the power of the Sutra of the Pure Glazed Vajra to its absolute limit, using the supreme Buddha Light to withstand the sanguine bombardment.
In a flash, the bloody rain slammed against the Buddha Light, vaporizing into a thick, crimson mist.
But the mist didn’t dissipate. Instead, it slowly flowed back into Gongyang Li’s body.
A grave expression crossed Chen Yuan’s face.
’Gongyang Li’s Primordial Pill may be shattered, but his cultivation isn’t completely gone. He just can’t use the techniques of the Primordial Pill Realm. However, his understanding of the Martial Dao and his control over his power are still at the Primordial Pill Realm Level.’
At that moment, Xing Shen and Xing Nan simultaneously formed a seal. Chanting a Brahma Sound, the Buddha Light around them surged, forming a Swastika Buddha Seal that descended upon Gongyang Li.
Miaofa Prajna Seal!
But Gongyang Li, as a bloody shadow, tore through the two Swastika Buddha Seals as if they were made of tofu.
The Buddha Light around Xing Shen and Xing Nan flared, but they were still sent flying by the shadow’s direct assault.
The two shouted in unison, "Form the Great Vajra Exorcism Array!"
Hui Ming and the other two monks simultaneously formed a hand seal, tapping a point over their Dantians. In that instant, an incredibly powerful Qi and Blood Power erupted from them.
At the same time, the blazing Buddha Light around Xing Shen and Xing Nan began to burn. This light poured into the bodies of Hui Ming and the other two monks, causing their auras to skyrocket dozens of times over!
Originally, the three were only at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm Late Stage, but now their power surged to the Peak of the Condensing Truth Realm—and perhaps even beyond.
The Buddha Light extended three feet from their bodies, faintly taking the form of an Angry-eyed Vajra’s phantom.
Infused with such immense power, the veins and muscles of the three monks bulged grotesquely. With a unified roar, all three charged at Gongyang Li.
Meanwhile, Xing Shen and Xing Nan formed hand seals, frantically burning their Qi Blood and True Qi. The magnificent Buddha Light, following their continuous Seal Formations, transformed into countless Swastika Buddha Seals that rained down upon Gongyang Li.
The Vajra Zen and Prajna Zen branches of the Vajra Prajna Temple were not merely a distinction between Body Refining and Cultivation Methods; the two could be combined to complement one another.
Xing Shen and Xing Nan both cultivated Prajna Zen. Their Physical Cultivation was average, but their Buddhist Skill and Inner Strength were profound.
In contrast, Hui Ming and the other two monks possessed powerful physiques but lacked a deep well of power.
Now, the three of them were using a Secret Technique to expand their meridians and Dantians, effectively turning themselves into living vessels.
Xing Shen and Xing Nan were burning their own Qi Blood and True Qi, pouring the vast and powerful Buddha Power True Qi into their comrades’ bodies, forcefully raising their Cultivation by an entire major Realm.
This was a maneuver only a Sect like the Vajra Prajna Temple, which cultivated two paths from a single art, could accomplish.
It was precisely why they had dispatched this particular team—because Prajna Zen and Vajra Zen could be used in tandem with this Secret Technique.
The only drawback was the consequence: Hui Ming and the others were at high risk of a damaged Dantian and ruptured meridians. If the battle dragged on, they could be permanently crippled.
But at this moment, they couldn’t afford to worry about that.
Gongyang Li cackled strangely. He reached his hands into his wide blood robe and, from beneath his ribs, pulled out two Bone Curved Sabers.
The sabers were as white as jade, but their edges glowed with an ominous crimson hue, like Blood Jade.
He normally kept these two Bone Curved Sabers inside his own body, nourishing them with his Qi and Blood. As he drew them now, they radiated an overwhelming bloody aura. He slashed down with both sabers, unleashing streaks of crimson light that filled the sky!
Even with their transformed Vajra Bodies, Ming Hui and the other two monks were forced back step by step by Gongyang Li’s attack, completely unable to retaliate.
Chen Yuan, however, found the attack strangely familiar. It resembled the Blood Refining Divine Saber, but its core principles and application were entirely different.
’That Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect who modified the Blood Spirit Scripture was a real deviant genius,’ he thought. ’To be able to twist the scripture into something like this... I can’t even imagine the state of mind he must have been in to make such changes.’
Xing Shen shouted to Qi Yuanming, "Lord Qi, stop holding back! If we don’t fight for our lives now, we’ll all die here!"
Qi Yuanming gritted his teeth. The blazing Fiery Flame True Qi around him exploded forth. He even began to burn his own Qi and Blood, his seething True Qi soaring toward the heavens. As he thrust his sword, a fire dragon roared to life, incinerating the surrounding Blood Qi as it charged straight for Gongyang Li.
Though he was a calculating man, he was no fool.
’The array’s entrance is sealed,’ he thought. ’If we don’t kill Gongyang Li, none of us are getting out of here. And it’s pointless to hope for Du Tianfeng to rescue us. Even if he realized something was wrong, he’s still seriously injured. If he came down here, he’d just be throwing his life away and providing more fuel for the array.’
"An Inspector from Zhenwu Hall? Nothing special."
Gongyang Li glanced at Qi Yuanming with a look of utter disdain.
In an alliance like Zhenwu Hall, the quality of the Martial Artists was inconsistent, a far cry from the uniformly high standards of the Central Plains’ major sects.
Among Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists, Qi Yuanming’s strength was merely average—far beneath Gongyang Li’s notice.
He formed a hand seal. In an instant, a great cloud of blood mist billowed from his body, condensing in midair into a dense, crimson net. It descended upon Qi Yuanming, while also spreading to envelop Fei Bin and Chen Yuan.
Celestial Net of Blood!
Both Gu Hongyuan and Feng Xieyun had used this move before, but theirs was the Silk Blood Net, with a much smaller range.
Gongyang Li’s Celestial Net of Blood, however, was truly overwhelming, leaving its victims with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
The fire dragon on Qi Yuanming’s sword was extinguished in an instant, and he was pressed down by the Celestial Net of Blood, unable to even lift his head.
Fei Bin fared even worse. Even when he pushed his True Qi to its absolute limit, it was instantly annihilated the moment it touched the net.
"Lord Qi, save me!" Fei Bin cried out, his face a mask of terror.
Qi Yuanming frowned but had no choice but to fall back and help Fei Bin resist the encroaching Celestial Net of Blood.
Fei Bin had been his subordinate years ago. Although he was no longer stationed in Kaiping Prefecture, he was still considered a trusted man.
Qi Yuanming, it seemed, still had a shred of conscience; if he could save a loyal subordinate, he would.
The Celestial Net of Blood now pressed down on Chen Yuan.
Sensing the Attribute of the power within the net, a thought sparked in Chen Yuan’s mind. Qi and Blood condensed upon his Cyan Dragon Blood Drink, sheathing it in crimson light.
He slashed down. A scarlet rainbow erupted from the ground, like a Blood River surging in reverse.
Blood Refining Divine Saber!
In that instant, the Celestial Net of Blood and the Blood Refining Divine Saber clashed. The great net, pulsing with immensely powerful Blood Qi, was torn open by Chen Yuan’s strike. He slipped through the opening immediately.
Qi Yuanming stared at Chen Yuan, his face a picture of utter shock.
’With my Condensing Truth Realm strength, I can only endure the Celestial Net of Blood with my True Qi,’ he thought. ’This Chen Tian is only in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, so how did he tear it apart?’
Gongyang Li also looked at Chen Yuan with surprise. Then, as if realizing something, he exclaimed in disbelief, "The Blood Refining Divine Saber!?"